come off

verb

came off; come off; coming off; comes off

intransitive verb

1

a

: to acquit oneself : fare

came off well in the contest

b

: appear, seem

2

: succeed

a television series that never came off

—TV Guide

3

: happen, occur

4

US, informal

—used in phrases like where do you come off? to express anger or annoyance at what someone has said or done

Marie was bent over the table now, reading, her piping girlish voice hot with indignation. "Where does she come off, anyway?"

—T. Coraghessan Boyle

transitive verb

1

: to have recently completed or recovered from

coming off a good year

2

: to have recently stopped using (an illegal drug)

an addict who is coming off heroin

Synonyms

• happen
• be
• come
• come to pass
• occur
• come down

Examples of come off in a Sentence

couldn't believe that the wedding would actually come off—they've been “just dating” for years

the attempted revival of the city's downtown never really came off, and even more stores eventually closed

Recent Examples on the Web

Despite these challenges, the Panthers are coming off a dominant 30–0 victory over the Falcons, showcasing their potential when healthy. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Sep. 2025

Sophomore Dylan Riley, coming off a monster 171-yard game, had 46 yards on 16 carries. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 28 Sep. 2025

Park oozes with an old guy’s perception of what charm should be but comes off more like a slightly sleazy Mediterranean oligarch wearing too much shiny gold jewelry. —David Lyman, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Sep. 2025

For the first time since 2019, the Heat is coming off a losing regular season. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Rhymes for come off

• cerenkov
• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff